Here's To Never Growing Up
by Kretari - daughter of Hermes
Summary: Things at Camp have been tense. It's driving Percy up the wall. Even after the Titan War, kids are still leaving their innocence and childhood behind to learn to fight in a war that shouldn't involve them in the first place. Nico offers a solution. Rated due to paranoia.


**AN: I know I don't need to do this since I'm losing track of updates as it is. But I have to. I can't get this idea out of my head, so I figured I'd post it. **

**By the way, just so you guys know before you start reading this...two things: 1- I don't like Percabeth. Point blank. Annabeth...she acts like a know-it-all, and it bothers me. It's like there's something deeper there...and nothing good. 2- My new favorite song is Here's To Never Growing Up by Avril Lavigne. That's why the title is what it is, it's what inspired me to start writing on this. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this. **

It was hard to watch the other demigods in Camp Half Blood follow orders. That's all they'd done recently. Percy frowned at a couple of the kids there doing training. They were taking it too seriously. It was killing him, watching this.

He was glad to be back at Camp Half-Blood after being away for a while, but this was too much. He shook his head and passed the two. "You're done. Dismissed."he said before he disappeared. Nico watched him go from his spot nearby, sitting back and watching. He frowned in suspicion, getting up and going after his cousin.

"Percy!"Nico yelled as he ran after the son of Poseidon.

Percy stopped and looked at Nico. "What?"he asked.

Nico frowned deeper. He sounded tired. "What's going on?"

Percy shook his head. "I'm sick of watching kids give their innocence to fight."he said. "That's all I ever see anymore. This isn't the home I knew, Neeks. It's not. Even the Stoll brothers have stopped with their pranks, and they never do that."

"I think you just need a break to get past it. I get it, Luke was a friend of yours. It's still hurting you that he betrayed you."Nico said.

Percy sighed. "He hurt his own _family._ He hurt Thalia and Annabeth, after he promised to be a family. Thalia told me."

Nico shook his head. "Go IM and ask if you can visit Thalia. You need to talk with her."he said. "And you need away from Camp. This is killing you."  
Percy nodded and went to do just that.

Nico watched him go and shook his head, continuing to Hades cabin.

And so, after dinner, Nico walked with Percy to the forest, ignoring the campfire they should be going to, and they both disappeared as soon as they reached the shadows.

They landed just outside the perimiter of the Hunter's camp, and Nico collapsed as soon as they were on solid ground, Percy catching him.

This gained some attention. Thalia shot up from her seat around a fire to go help her cousins.

Artemis shook her head in bemusement, but told the other girls not to shoot the two. At least they'd had the decency to IM ahead and land outside of the camp.

Thalia helped Percy carry Nico into the camp, but they let the boy sleep.

"What are you two idiots doing here this time?"Thalia asked Percy as they had a seat a bit away from the other Hunters and Artemis, laying Nico down in front of them.

Percy shook his head. "I needed away from that damned camp. Kids are throwing their innocence away just to learn to fight. They've never done that before."he said softly. "And Nico said that I needed time away to get passed it, that I was too close to it."

Thalia sighed. "Percy, you have to know that wasn't your fault by now, right?"  
"I could've helped him. Back when we were on that quest my first year there...I could've helped Luke somehow, and I didn't. So...yeah, no."

Thalia shook her head. "Listen, Luke chose his fate. Don't let what's left of him chose yours for you. He said he'd try for rebirth. He's going to fix what he did this time around. You need to let go of it."

Percy shook his head. "Not as long as my friends and home are at risk due to it. And they still are."

Nico spoke then, apparently he'd woken up not long ago. "Fatal flaw, Perce..."he commented.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Thalia raised her eyebrow. "Your fatal flaw is loyalty."

No question.

Artemis was watching the three cousins curiously.

After a while, she got up and approached them. Nico and Percy offered a bow of their heads to her in respect and Thalia smiled at her in greeting. "Hello, milady."

Artemis sat down in front of the cousins and spoke. "Is there something the matter?"

Thalia noticed Percy shaking his head and Nico trying to avoid the question somehow, but she spoke up. "Yes. There is."she said calmly.

She continued at Artemis's questioning look.

"It seems, my Lady, that there are a few things from the past that are keeping Percy from being able to move past a few things from the Titan War."Thalia said, and Percy gave her a look. "Perhaps more so than he's willing to admit."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her this time. Artemis nodded. "I trust you will find an appropriate fix?"

Thalia nodded and Artemis returned to the other Hunters.

"What?"

Thalia looked at Percy. "Don't think I haven't noticed the scars that I know you haven't gotten from battles."she said. "How'd you get them?"

Percy looked highly uncomfortable. "It's nothing."

Thalia clearly didn't believe him, but didn't want to fight with him over it, as she let it go and moved on. "Fine. So..how long are you staying away from Camp?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't know."

Nobody pushed him for answers.

That's just how they worked.

Before the night was over and Percy and Nico left, Thalia had managed to get Percy to talk to someone about what had happened in his past. Mind, it took a bit of help from Artemis after the others went to bed and Thalia was still trying to get it out of Percy.

Artemis had given him a sad look at the news, but said nothing.

Thalia and Nico kept looking at him in concern.

Percy shook his head. "Nico...you'll have to go back alone. I'm going home."he said.

Nico nodded in understanding.

Percy stood to leave.

Before he got to, though, Nico spoke up. "Hey, Perce?"

Percy looked at him.

"I'll work on getting them to chill out at Camp."Nico promised. "You just try to get your mind off things."

Percy nodded and disappeared.

"I'm worried about him."

It was a statement shared by both Nico and Thalia. It wasn't like their cousin to be so withdrawn.

**Here. Now, I need to get to bed.**


End file.
